This report presents key findings from an initial assessment of cybersecurity educational programs in seven European countries: the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Poland, Romania, and Ukraine. These countries were chosen because they are all participants in the open call for the Google.org Cybersecurity Seminars program. The purpose of this assessment is to establish a baseline for advancements in cybersecurity education and identify exemplary programs and practices.
The assessment covers a wide range of cybersecurity educational programs. This includes not just specialized cybersecurity courses, but also general computer science programs and those that mix cybersecurity with policy or business. It also looks at programs that combine different subjects, like artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, and policy courses that have cybersecurity components. The scope of the assessment is limited to university degrees and does not extend to other higher education institutions.
This guide is primarily for universities and other higher education institutions participating in the Google.org Cybersecurity Seminars Program. It is addressed to the Faculty Champions and EDI Champions of these programs. Beyond the Google.org Cybersecurity Seminars, this guide may also be relevant for other organizations involved in practical cybersecurity education.
THE AVAILABILITY OF CYBERSECURITY DEGREE PROGRAMS VARIES ACROSS EUROPE
Students interested in cybersecurity have multiple options to choose from for their university education. On average, we found 28 cybersecurity degrees per country across a total of 109 universities. However, the number of available degrees varies across each of the seven countries. At the upper spectrum, we discovered 50 undergraduate and graduate degrees in Ukraine, 32 in Germany, 28 in Poland and the Czech Republic, 26 in France, 20 in Greece and on the lower end, we found a more limited selection in Romania, with just 12 cybersecurity degrees on offer.
CYBERSECURITY DEGREES RETAIN A TECHNICAL CORE BUT ARE INCREASINGLY INTERDISCIPLINARY
Many of the cybersecurity programs we examined have a technical focus, yet still integrate soft skills or social/political aspects of cybersecurity. For example, this includes modules on ethics and crime, as seen at the University of Potsdam and the University of Marburg. Similarly, the University of Economics and Human Science in Warsaw, Poland, offers modules in ‘online security of children and adolescents’ and ‘information and hybrid warfare’ as part of their cybersecurity undergraduate program, alongside technical modules in programming and cryptography. At Brno University of Technology in the Czech Republic, students working towards an engineering degree in cybersecurity can enroll in a ‘Technical Law’ module.
AROUND A QUARTER OF UNIVERSITIES COLLABORATE WITH THE PRIVATE SECTOR TO PROVIDE OR ENHANCE CYBERSECURITY DEGREES
The level of private sector collaboration varies across countries. France has the highest known partner-engagement, with 46% of its degree programmes supported by private sector partnerships. The figure is exactly 25% for Poland and Greece. On the lower end of the spectrum, 21% of degree programmes in the Czech Republic and 19% in Germany have known private sector partnerships, with Ukraine at only 12%. Romania is the only country with no known partnerships identified. However, this assessment of private sector collaboration is limited to public data, meaning that there may be far more collaboration than we identified.
The most recurring partnerships are with multinational companies, including Microsoft, IBM and Cisco. Microsoft and Cisco have public partnerships with universities in Ukraine and Poland, while Cisco has set up similar partnerships in Greece. In Ukraine, students at the Simon Kuznets Kharkiv National University of Economics have access to the Microsoft IT academy, and students at Kharkiv National University of Radio Electronics have access to Cisco’s Network Academy. Similarly, students at the Mediterranean College in Greece have the opportunity to benefit from Cisco-certified network labs and Microsoft Azure labs, in addition to acquiring the Cisco Certified Network Associate (CNNA) certification.
Universities sometimes partner with local businesses, seeking to provide more regional educational opportunities and engagements for students. In France, students at ESIEE Paris, School of Engineering in Electrotechnics and Electronics are granted access to industry placements and industry events through connections with local partners.e, students at ESIEE Paris, School of Engineering in Electrotechnics and Electronics are granted access to industry placements and industry events through connections with local partners.
CLASSROOM-BASED LEARNING REMAINS THE PREDOMINANT MODEL FOR CYBERSECURITY EDUCATION
Across all countries we assessed, most courses take place in a traditional classroom setting with lectures and coursework. The offering of alternative models of education, however, again varies per country. In France, students can expect to spend a few months of their degree completing an internship, and this is true at both undergraduate and postgraduate level. 65% of degrees researched in France included an internship or industry placement, in comparison to 35% in Poland, 34% in Germany and 20% in Greece, with no known internships or industry placements within the Czech Republic, Ukraine or Romania.
In France, for example, undergraduate students at the University of Lille’s Computer Science complete three months in an internship in the final months of their degree programme, where they apply the knowledge developed during their studies to a business setting. Graduate students in cybersecurity at the Université Grenoble Alpes undertake a five month internship. In Greece, students at the University of Thessaly can complete an optional internship in their third year. Such internships are intended to benefit both the student and the university: the student can utilize the knowledge and skills they acquire during their studies, while the department strengthens their relationship with the hosting industries.
Other examples of non-traditional teaching methods can be found at various universities across Europe. At Saarland University in Germany, undergraduate students have to attend practical sessions in the university's cybersecurity lab. At ESIEE Paris in France, students spend four months working in teams on multidisciplinary projects proposed by industry partners or faculty. At the Czech Technical University, students have access to an ethical hacking laboratory, named HackingLab, run in partnership with NN Group. The HackingLab grants students the opportunity to practice ethical hacking skills in a controlled environment. In addition to this, the Czech Technical University also runs a Forensic Laboratory and a RFID Laboratory, with the latter focusing on chip card security and other topics.
FEW UNIVERSITY CYBERSECURITY DEGREES ACTIVELY PROMOTE EQUALITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION (EDI)
Limited data is publicly available regarding the enrollment of students in cybersecurity degree programs. This lack of data makes it challenging to draw definitive conclusions about the characteristics of students in these programs. However, we found only a few programs actively emphasize equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) such as on their degree program websites or related enrollment materials, or have set up dedicated initiatives aimed at promoting EDI. There are exceptions to this trend, with BRNO University of Technology being a notable example. BRNO hosts a Summer IT School focused on inspiring school-aged girls in the Czech Republic to learn about computer science.
The Google.org Cybersecurity Seminars Program supports cybersecurity seminar courses in selected universities and other eligible higher education institutions in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, to help students learn more about cybersecurity and explore pathways in the field. The program actively supports the expansion of cybersecurity training in universities, to build the diverse workforce needed to help the most vulnerable organizations prevent potential cyberattacks. It also addresses new risks from artificial intelligence (AI), providing students with an understanding of AI-based changes to the cyber threat landscape and helping them effectively integrate AI into practical cybersecurity measures.
Participating universities are expected to actively promote equality, diversity, and inclusion within their programs. They should encourage the strong participation of individuals from diverse backgrounds and create an inclusive environment for education, thereby enriching the overall learning experience and strengthening the cybersecurity community.
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